Cricket during Covid-19: the beginning
Clean striking and comical judgement mark the return to cricket
My earliest memories of playing cricket growing up in Australia were of barren dry grounds; a crunching under my feet as the Eucalyptus bark broke apart following weeks of heat. Kookaburras laughed, and flocks of Galahs gazed down from above, as we ran helplessly, chasing the red leather to all parts of the ground. Gum nuts the occasional hazard causing you to slip and fall chasing the ball too.
It is these memories, alongside the ‘slip, slop, slap’ mantra and keeping your drinks cold in a big esky next to the boundary that stay with me today. This was, still is, cricket to me.
New seasons in England are very different. The Summer heat takes time to arrive, weeks, if not months, assuming that it ever does. If you play a game in April and don’t freeze to death, you consider it a bonus. As Spring battles the cold dark Winter the season slowly awakens, gentle breezes drying out the grounds on cloudy days.
This year new memories are being formed. There has been no gradual buildup; most people thought the season was lost. Covid-19 has played havoc with the country.
This weekend, across the parks and in the villages of England a new summer of cricket began. In the shadow of covid-19, several changes were made to prevent the spread of infections, but this was still cricket. The changes, as they played out in front of me, didn’t disrupt the game as much as I thought.
My club played an inter-club trial. It was a chance for players to learn the new regulations and to give people a chance to remember what this game we all love is all about. Could we still play it? Players would be rusty, that was a given. My teammates put on a spectacular display of comical judgement at times. I only hope that we all get those cobwebs out of the system fast!
Some managed to strike the ball cleanly, and others bowled with accuracy although it was largely ineffective bowling that proved to be very effective when no one had a clue what they were doing! It was great to see the game being played and I will be out there next weekend, trying, but probably failing to make better judgement calls.
I’ve never loved crowds, especially if they are unstructured. At the cricket there was only a small crowd, alongside the players, but it was the biggest crowd I had been in for at least three, if not four months. I feel low-level anxiety in these situations, and on Saturday this was heightened. We may have been outdoors, in the fresh air, but I felt boxed in, suffocating at times. It triggered a reaction, both physical and mental, and I knew when I needed to leave.
Lockdown in England has taken a toll on the mental health of many people. I too, have struggled at times. I have looked forward to getting back out, seeing people and returning to a more normal, or familiar, life. But after the weekends cricket, I recognise that this transition will be longer than I thought. I am grateful though that at the very least, cricket will be part of my transition and I can’t wait to get back out there and play. Batting will be my solitude, even if I am not sure I remember how it goes.
